Tag Archives: Elly Ameling

Episode 317. Big Baroque Christmas

December 19, 2024African American Singers, Forgotten Divas, Full-Figured Baroque, Great Baritones, Great Contraltos, Great Tenors, Holiday Music, Ileana Cotrubas, Listeners' Favorites, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Singers in Old Age, Singers of Color, Voiceless WondersAdrian Boult, Agnes Giebel, Aksel Schiotz, Alessandro Scarlatti, Andrew Davis, Anna Reynolds, Antonio Vivaldi, Brigitte Fassbaender, Carole Dawn Reinhart, Christa Ludwig, Colin Davis, Edith Mathis, Elly Ameling, Ernst Haefliger, Eugen Jochum, Eugene Ormandy, Florence Quivar, Francisco Araiza, François Agostini, Fritz Wunderlich, George Frideric Handel, Gundula Janowitz, Heather Harper, Helen Watts, Helmut Winschermann, Herbert von Karajan, Hermann Prey, Ileana Cotrubas, Janet Baker, Jennifer Vyvyan, Jerry Hadley, Johann Sebastian Bach, John Shirley-Quirk, Jorma Hynninen, Judith Blegen, Karl Münchinger, Karl Richter, Kirsten Flagstad, Kurt Equiluz, Kurt Thomas, Leonard Bernstein, Lorin Maazel, Magnificat, Marga Höffgen, Margaret Marshall, Marinus Voorberg, Martha Angelici, Messiah, Mogens Wöldike, Neville Marriner, Peter Schreier, Raymond Leppard, Richard Westenburg, Russell Oberlin, Shirley Verrett, Tom Krause, Vittorio Negri, Weihnachts-Oratorium, William Warfieldcountermelody

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Sometimes when I look back on past episodes of Countermelody, I surprise myself with how good they were, even in the early days when I was still trying to figure everything out. This episode, first posted as a bonus episode five years ago is a good example of that. Earlier that season I had coined the term “Full-Figured Baroque” to describe the “old-fashioned” style of Baroque performance that I personally prefer to what one currently hears in churches and concert halls around the world and on recordings. This episode was devoted to Baroque music composed specifically for the Christmas season, recorded between 1940 and 1992, and performed in deliciously non-period style, replete with deliberate tempi, judiciously applied vibrato, and stately ritardandi. There is a special focus on the Christmas portion of Handel’s Messiah and Bach’s Weihnachts-Oratorium and assorted cantatas for the Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany season. Singers include Janet Baker, Tom Krause, Jerry Hadley, Margaret Marshall, Francisco Araiza, Russell Oberlin, Helen Watts, William Warfield, John Shirley-Quirk, Peter Schreier, Heather Harper, Shirley Verrett, Edith Mathis, Hermann Prey, Marga Höffgen, Agnes Giebel, Kurt Equiluz, Florence Quivar, Aksel Schiøtz, Kirsten Flagstad, Christa Ludwig, Edith Mathis, Brigitte Fassbaender. Ernst Haefliger, Jennifer Vyvyan, Anna Reynolds, Judith Blegen, Fritz Wunderlich, Elly Ameling, Peter Schreier, and Gundula Janowitz. Conductors include Neville Marriner, Raymond Leppard, Colin Davis, Karl Richter, Lorin Maazel, Helmut Winschermann, Vittorio Negri, Karl Münchinger, Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karajan, Eugene Ormandy, Adrian Boult, Andrew Davis, and Eugen Jochum, among others. Don’t miss out on this full-figured Christmas treat!

Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel’s lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody’s core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody’s Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly or yearly support at whatever level you can afford.

Episode 316. Christmas with Elly Ameling

December 16, 2024Art Song, Comic Relief, Full-Figured Baroque, Great Baritones, Happy Birthday, Holiday Music, Lieder, Listeners' Favorites, Needle Drop, Richard Strauss, Twentieth Century MusicAlbert de Klerk, Alessandro Scarlatti, Barry McDaniel, Bernard Kruysen, Bernhard Michaelis, Charles van Lerberghe, Christmas music, Dalton Baldwin, Eduard Mörike, Elly Ameling, Hans-Martin Linde, Hans-Ulrich Mielsch, Hugo de Groot, Hugo Wolf, Ilse Brix-Meinert, Joaquín Nin, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Johannes Eccard, Johannes Koch, Joseph Haydn, Katja Phillabaum, Ludwig Helmbold, Martin Boelitz, Martin Greif, Maurice Ravel, Max Reger, Peter Cornelius, Richard Strauss, Rogier van Otterloo, Thijs van Leer, Walter Gerwig, Yolanda Marcoulescoucountermelody

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In February our beloved Elly Ameling turns 92. I cannot think of another classical singer who recorded more Christmas albums over the course of her career. One of the most obscure of these is the 1980 release “Christmas with Elly Ameling,” which was briefly available on LP, but never re-released in any format. I present it to you here complete, albeit reordered. A highlight is her performance of the delightful “Weihnachtslieder” by the German romantic composer Peter Cornelius, accompanied by Dalton Baldwin. Also included are works by Alphons Diepenbrock, Hugo Wolf, Alessandro Scarlatti, Richard Strauss, and Max Reger. That record is supplemented by excerpts from two of her earliest recordings, 1960’s “A Christmas Fantasy,” alongside Countermelody favorite Bernard Kruysen; and 1963’s “Christmas Music of the Renaissance.” Also included are a Haydn Advent cantata and two traditional Spanish carols 1977’s “Christmas Songs from Europe,” arranged by Joaquín Nin; rounded off by two exquisite Bach selections from an even rarer Elly recording, a 1979 festive Christmas concert at the Grote Kerk in Monnickendam. All of these represent Elly Ameling at her charming and exquisite best and are sure to put even the Scroogiest of my listeners in the Christmas spirit.

Episode 296. Dan’s Operatic Picks

October 8, 2024Art Song, Bel canto, Broadway, Claudia Muzio, Crossover, Eileen Farrell, Forgotten Divas, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Great Baritones, Great Tenors, Happy Birthday, In Memoriam, Lieder, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Pop Icons, VerismoAdriana Lecouvreur, Aksel Schiotz, Alec Wilder, Alfred Bachelet, Alfredo Catalani, Alfredo Simonetti, Andrea Chénier, Andrée Esposito, Angela Lansbury, Antonino Votto, Carl Nielsen, Cesare Siepi, Chanson perpétuelle (Chausson), Charles Cros, Charles Gounod, Christian Morgenstern, Claudio Muzio, Daniel Beckwith, Daniel Gundlach, Don Carlo, Donald Pippin, Edith Mason, Eileen Farrell, Eleanor Steber, Elly Ameling, Ernest Chausson, Ettore Bastianini, Francesco Cilea, Franco Corelli, Franco Ferraris, Franz Lehár, Friedrich Schiller, Georg Solti, Georges Thill, Germaine Féraldy, Giacomo Puccini, Gioacchino Rossini, Giorgio Giorgetti, Giuseppe Verdi, Helmut Winschermann, Hermann Weigert, Hugo Hasslo, I Puritani, I vespri siciliani, Ian Partridge, Il barbiere di Siviglia, István Kertész, Jacques Offenbach, Jacques Prévert, James Quillian, Jean Morel, Jennifer Partridge, Jerry Herman, Johann Sebastian Bach, Jorma Hynninen, Joseph Kosma, Joseph-Étienne Szyfer, Jules Barbier, Jussi Bjorling, La Belle Helene, La Wally (Catalani), Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Loonis McGlohon, Lotte Lehmann, Lucia Popp, Madama Butterfly, Magda Olivero, Manon Lescaut, Maria Vitale, Mario Rossi, Nathaniel Shilkret, Nils Grevillius, Pierre Barbizet, Ralf Gothoni, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Riccardo Chailly, Riccardo Stracciari, Richard Crooks, Roméo et Juliette, Sándor Kónya, Sigmund Romberg, Susan Dunn, Svend Christian Felumb, The Desert Song (Romberg), Umberto Giordano, Victorien Sardou, Vincenzo Bellini, William Shakespeare, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Yrjö Kilpinencountermelody

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I’m still under the weather, but I can’t let that keep me from posting my usual Tuesday episode! Here is another recycled bonus episode, this one posted two years ago in honor of my birthday, which features some of my favorite singers. At that time I posted a brand new episode entitled “Dan’s Picks,” but many of the best selections ended up on the cutting room floor. That hurt my heart so much that I had no choice but to do a companion episode which features a number of things that were lacking from the main episode: first of all, more tenor goodness (Aksel Schiøtz, Franco Corelli, Sándor Kónya, Jussi Björling, Richard Crooks, Ian Partridge); second of all, more burly baritones (Jorma Hynninen, Ettore Bastianini, Riccardo Stracciari, and the lesser-known megawatt talent Hugo Hasslo). Also heard are a number of sopranos that have not received enough Countermelody airtime (Edith Mason, Maria Vitale, Andrée Esposito, Lucia Popp), as well as a number of favorites that we (I?) simply can’t get enough of: Muzio, Lehmann, Olivero, Farrell, Steber. I even set aside modesty to include a brief clip of me from a demo I recorded some time ago, back when I could still sing! Every selection in this episode is very dear to my heart; I hope you will enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed putting it together.

Episode 291. A Bevy of Bachian Contraltos

September 22, 2024African American Singers, Forgotten Divas, Full-Figured Baroque, Great Contraltos, Listeners' Favorites, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle DropAafje Heynis, Antonio Janigro, Benjamin Britten, Bernard Greenhouse, Bernardette Greevy, Brigitte Fassbaender, Carol Smith, Christa Ludwig, Claudia Hellmann, Diethard Hellmann, Elly Ameling, Erich Itor Kahn, Franz Holetschek, Fritz Werner, Germaine Cernay, Hans Heintze, Hans Thamm, Helen Watts, Helmut Hucke, Helmuth Kahlhöfer, Helmuth Rilling, Hermann Sauter, Hilde Rössel-Majdan, Janet Baker, Johann Sebastian Bach, John Newmark, John O’Sullivan, Karl Richter, Kathleen Ferrier, Kurt Thomas, Madeleine Berkeley, Marga Höffgen, Margarethe Bence, Marian Anderson, Martha Angelici, Maureen Forrester, Maureen Lehane, Maurice Wilk, Millicent Silver, Noélie Pierront, Norma Procter, Richard Harand, Robert Bloomcountermelody

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This week I pull out all the Baroque stops (appropriately enough), to present you with an episode chock full of contraltos, all singing the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. I have chosen 28 different contraltos, active between the late 1930s and the early 2000s, who excelled in the singing and interpretation of this most spiritual, and most genius, of composers. I am dividing this episode into two separate segments, the first of which I present here, a group of singers which includes such legendary historical figures as Kathleen Ferrier and Marian Anderson, and Christa Ludwig, as well as such exceptional voices from the Americas as Maureen Forrester and Carol Smith; and, from the continent, Aafje Heynis, Germaine Cernay, Brigitte Fassbaender, Hilde Rössel-Majdan, Claudia Hellmann, Marga Höffgen, and Margarethe Bence. These women are joined by a further a group of British contraltos and mezzo-sopranos, each with distinctive and exceptional approaches to the music of Bach, including Helen Watts, Norma Procter, Maureen Lehane (for me, the big discovery of the week), and of course Janet Baker, beloved to all of us. I also pay tribute to a select group of exceptional Kapellmeister including Karl Richter, Helmuth Kahlhöfer, Fritz Werner, Kurt Thomas, and Hans Thamm, who thrived in recordings and live performances from the 1950s and beyond. If certain favorite names of yours are missing from this week’s setlist, no worries: they may well appear on next week’s episode, which continues to combine Bachian expressive profundity with plummy contralto depths.

Episode 268. Will Parker Redux

June 26, 2024Art Song, Great Baritones, Listeners' Favorites, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Queer Pride, Twentieth Century MusicAaron Copland, André Emelianoff, Banalités, Benjamin Hudson, Billy Budd, Carol Zeavin, Charles Wakefield Cadman, Claude Debussy, Columbia String Quartet, Elly Ameling, Ernst Bacon, Francis Poulenc, Georg Friedrich Daumer, Gerard van Blerk, Guillaume Apollinaire, Herman Melville, Janet Hill, Johannes Brahms, John Jacob Niles, Le promenoir des deux amants, Norman Shetler, Old American Songs, Robert Evett, Rudolf Jansen, Thomas Merton, Tristan L’Hermite, Virgil Blackwell, William Huckaby, William Parkercountermelody

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Today I revisit the life and legacy of lyric baritone William Parker (05 August 1943 – 29 March 1993), to whom I devoted an episode exactly a year ago. To further explore his unmatched contribution to the art of song, I present a second episode which was originally published as a bonus episode at the same time, featuring Will in four contrasting song cycles by Charles Wakefield Cadman, Claude Debussy, Aaron Copland, and Francis Poulenc, recorded between 1975 and 1987, when he was in his absolute prime. He is accompanied by William Huckaby, Gérard van Blerk, and the late Rudolf Jansen. Also included are two haunting settings of Herman Melville’s “Billy in the Darbies,” a segment added posthumously to his Billy Budd novella; in two settings by Robert Evett and Ernst Bacon. The episode is prefaced by a brief tribute to the pianist Norman Shetler, who died yesterday in Austria nine days after observing his 93rd birthday; as well as a brief introduction by Will Parker’s nephew, Mark Doty.

Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel’s lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody’s core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody’s Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford. Bonus episodes available exclusively to Patreon supporters are currently available and further bonus content including interviews and livestreams is planned for the upcoming season.

Episode 227. A Golden Age Christmas

December 9, 2023African American Singers, Art Song, Great Tenors, Holiday Music, In Memoriam, Mezzo Madness, Needle Drop, NYCO Divas, Orchestral Songs, Pop Icons, Protest Songs, Renata Scotto, Richard Strauss, Richard Wagner, Twentieth Century MusicAdolphe Adam, Alexis Contant, Alphonse Daudet, André d’Arkor, André Kostelanetz, Anton Guadagno, Arthur Bergh, Beverly Sills, Cesar Franck, Charles Gilibert, Clarence Dickinson, Dalton Baldwin, Dorothy Maynor, Douglas Gamley, Easthope Martin, Eddie Sauer, Elena Gerhardt, Elisabeth Schumann, Elly Ameling, Elsa Alsen, Erik Werba, Franz Xaver Gruber, Frederick G. Martens, George Frideric Handel, Giovanni Martinelli, Herbert von Karajan, Irmgard Seefried, Joan Sutherland, John Henry Hopkins Jr., John McCormack, Joseph Mohr, Leontyne Price, Lotte Lehmann, Louis H. Redner, Margarete Matzenauer, Martin Boelitz, Max Bloch, Max Reger, Nathaniel Shilkret, Olive Fremstad, Peter Cornelius, Phillips Brooks, Phyllis Curtin, Pietro Yon, Renata Tebaldi, Richard Bonynge, Richard Crooks, Richard Lert, Robert McGimsey, Rosario Bourdoncountermelody

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In the midst of our recent move, I came across a stash of old “mixtapes” (actually CDs and much other archival material. One such item which particularly moved me was one entitled “A Golden Age Christmas 2003” which I handed out to my colleagues and friends twenty years ago. Looking over the tracklist, I realized that this was a sort of early iteration of Countermelody: me sharing music that I particularly loved with people that I cared about. Today’s podcast uses as its basis that same CD (slightly trimmed in length) and features performances by a glorious group of singers ranging from Olive Fremstad, Charles Gilibert, and Margarete Matzenauer from the early years of the twentieth century to such later favorites as Elly Ameling, Beverly Sills, and Leontyne Price. I can’t guarantee that this episode will put you in the holiday spirit, but I sure hope it does!

Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel’s lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody’s core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody’s Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford. Bonus episodes available exclusively to Patreon supporters are currently available and further bonus content including interviews and livestreams is planned for the upcoming season.

Episode 219. Chants d’Auvergne

October 18, 2023African American Singers, Art Song, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Orchestral Songs, Pop Icons, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century MusicAnna Caterina Antonacci, Anna Moffo, Antonio de Almeida, Arleen Augér, Avron Twerdowsky, Barbra Streisand, Bernard Boucheix, Claus Ogerman, Dalton Baldwin, David Weber, Dawn Upshaw, Désiré-Émile Inghelbrecht, Elie Cohen, Elly Ameling, François-Xavier Roth, Frederica von Stade, George Reeves, Gerard Souzay, Harold Bennett, Harry Shulman, Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Jean-Pierre Jacquillat, Jeffrey Tate, Jill Gomez, John Wustman, Joseph Canteloube, Joseph-Marie Canteloube, Kiri Te Kanawa, Kurt Masur, Leonard Bernstein, Leopold Stokowski, Lucie Daullène, Madeleine Grey, Marie-Joseph Canteloube de Malaret, Marni Nixon, Marvis Martin, Netania Davrath, Nicole Theven, Olivier Besnard, Pierre de la Roche, Regine Crespin, Susan Reed, Vernon Handley, Victoria de los Angeles, Yan Pascal Torteliercountermelody

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Another episode featuring orchestral songs, these arrangements by the French composer Joseph Canteloube AKA Marie-Joseph Canteloube de Malaret (1879 – 1957), of elaborately orchestrated folk songs from the Auvergne region of France. From the 1960s an beyond these songs have become favorites of sopranos seeking engaging works for voice and orchestra. Canteloube made orchestral arrangements of five different series (or books) of songs published between 1924 and 1955. The songs themselves are, in turn, playful, plangent, tragic, saucy, rustic, and even surprisingly emancipated. In 1930 French soprano Madeleine Grey was the first artist to record the songs. Subsequently the Ukrainian-born Israeli soprano Netania Davrath became the first to take on the entire cycle. Cognoscenti still find her versions to be the most “authentic,” although that is a loaded term when one considers how elaborate these arrangements are. Other singers that helped put these songs on the map, as it were, include Anna Moffo, Victoria de los Angeles, Kiri Te Kanawa, and Frederica von Stade. All these singers are heard in this episode, which also includes memorable contributions from singers as varied as Dawn Upshaw, Barbra Streisand, Jill Gomez, Marvis Martin, Gérard Souzay, Marni Nixon, Anna Caterina Antonacci, Elly Ameling, Régine Crespin, Arleen Augér, Susan Reed, and others. You may also be quite surprised (I know I was!) to hear the singer that Canteloube most preferred in this repertoire, in a recording accompanied by the composer himself.

Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel’s lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody’s core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody’s Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford. Bonus episodes available exclusively to Patreon supporters are currently available and further bonus content including interviews and livestreams is planned for the upcoming season.

Episode 187. Elly Ameling Sings Bach

March 10, 2023Art Song, Full-Figured Baroque, Happy Birthday, Holiday Music, Lieder, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle DropAlbert de Klerk, Cees van der Krann, Coenraad Bloemendaal, Dalton Baldwin, Edward H. Tarr, Elly Ameling, Elyakim Taussig, Eugen Jochum, Franzjosef Maier, Gerhard Schmidt-Gaden, Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel, Han de Vries, Hans-Martin Linde, Hanspeter Weber, Helmut Winschermann, Helmuth Hucke, Hermann Prey, Ingo Goritzki, Janet Baker, Johann Sebastian Bach, Karl Münchinger, Kurt Thomas, Matthäus-Passion, Maurice André, Moshe Hammer, Neville Marriner, Paul Steinitz, Raymond Leppard, Reinhard Peters, Richte van der Meer, Roger Birnstingl, St. Matthew Passion, Weichet nur (Wedding Cantata), William Bennettcountermelody

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An artist whose singing has been with me throughout my entire life journey is Dutch soprano Elly Ameling, who on February 8 celebrated her 90th birthday. Ameling was most celebrated as a singer of art song, and justly so, but another repertoire she performed with particular grace and aplomb was the music of the baroque, specifically the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. This, the first of a pair of Ameling episodes planned for this season, presents her exclusively in that repertoire, in live performances and recordings over the course of her career’s prime, from the mid-sixties through the mid-eighties. I have chosen to focus on three works which she performed frequently and for which we have more than one recorded example extant: Cantata 51, “Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen”; Cantata 202, “Weichet nur,” the so-called Wedding Cantata; and the St. Matthew Passion. I feature extended excerpts from each of these works as well as a smattering of Ameling performances of other Bach works, as well a song once wrongly attributed to Bach, “Bist du bei mir.” Throughout this episode, Ameling’s key artistic virtues are on full display: a crystalline voice of ineffable purity; an impeccable vocal technique that encompassed long-limbed cantilena as well as rapid-fire coloratura; and a verbal acuity that, even in such technically challenging music, always put the words first and foremost. She is the ideal Bach singer, and, dare I say it, maybe the finest Bach soprano that ever lived.

Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel’s lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody’s core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody’s Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford. Bonus episodes available exclusively to Patreon supporters are currently available and further bonus content including interviews and livestreams is planned for the upcoming season.

Episode 174. Song of Songs

December 8, 2022African American Singers, Art Song, Canadian Singers, In Memoriam, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Orchestral Songs, Pop Icons, Queer Pride, Singers of Color, Twentieth Century MusicAntoine Brumel, Benjamin Britten, Bernard Haitink, Bertus van Lier, Chanticleer, Claudio Monteverdi, Daniel Lesur, David Willcocks, Edmund Spenser, Edward Bairstow, Eleanor Steber, Elly Ameling, Emmanuel Chabrier, Eric Ericson, Ernest Ansermet, Ernest MacMillan, Francis Quarles, Gary Schneider, Giovanni Luigi da Palestrina, Herbert Elwell, Howard Mitchell, India Adams, Irene Papas, Jack Gould, Jean-Yves Daniel-Lesur, Jennie Tourel, Jerzy Katlewicz, John Eliot Gardiner, John LaMontaine, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Kate Bush, Krzysztof Penderecki, Leonard Bernstein, Leontyne Price, Lois Marshall, Lukas Foss, Martina Arroyo, New York Polyphony, Nicholas Harsanyi, Peter Pears, Philip Langridge, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Ray Martin, Stephen Cleobury, Stephen Roberts, Susan May Schneider, Suzanne Danco, Sviatoslav Richter, Vangelis, Vic Mazzy, William Waltoncountermelody

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This week is a continuation of my memorial tribute to my dear friend and colleague Susan May Schneider, who died last week after a long struggle with cancer. Susan’s husband Gary, a composer and conductor, wrote a stunning song cycle for Susan using texts from the biblical Song of Songs, and this episode is bookended with their live 2000 performance of two of those songs. I supplement this with further material which all use texts based on the Song of Songs. This includes choral works by composers from Brumel and Palestrina, Walton and Bairstow to Penderecki and Daniel-Lesur; pop songs by India Adams and Kate Bush; orchestral song cycles, cantatas, and oratorios performed by Lois Marshall, Elly Ameling, Jennie Tourel, Leontyne Price, Eleanor Steber, and Suzanne Danco; and works from such surprising compositional sources as Stockhausen and Vangelis.

Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel’s lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody’s core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody’s Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford. Bonus episodes available exclusively to Patreon supporters are currently available and further bonus content including interviews and livestreams is planned for the upcoming season.

Episode 119. Christmas (Art) Songs

December 10, 2021African American Singers, Art Song, Great Baritones, Holiday Music, Lieder, Margaret Price, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Richard Strauss, Singers of Color, Voiceless WondersAafje Heynis, Arnolt Schlick, Benjamin Luxon, Claron McFadden, Dalton Baldwin, David Willison, Edita Gruberová, Eduard Mörike, Elias Arizcuren, Elisabeth Schumann, Elly Ameling, Elsie Houston, Emanuel Geibel, Felix Lavilla, Friedrich Haider, Genevieve Touraine, Geoffrey Parsons, George Frideric Handel, Gonzalo Soriano, Hermann Prey, Hugo Wolf, Irène Aïtoff, Irmgard Seefried, Irwin Gage, Janet Baker, Joaquín Nin, Joaquin Rodrigo, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Johannes Koch, Jorma Hynninen, Joseph Canteloube, Joseph Marx, Justino Diaz, Karl Alwin, Katja Phillabaum, Kim Borg, Kurt Gaebel, Leonard Hokanson, Lois Marshall, Lotte Lehmann, Margaret Price, Martin Isepp, Maurice Ravel, Michael Head, Noël Lee, Norman Bailey, Norman Shetler, Novalis, Paul Heyse, Pentti Koskimies, Peter Cornelius, Peter Schreier, Peter Warlock, Rainer Maria Rilke, Ralf Gothoni, Richard Strauss, Rita Streich, Roger VIgnoles, Sarah Walker, Sergiu Celibidache, Teresa Berganza, Tom Krause, Victoria de los Angeles, Walter Gerwig, Weldon Kilburn, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Yolanda Marcoulescoucountermelody

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It’s time for my third annual Christmas show! Can you believe that Countermelody has been around that long already? This year I am reviving last year’s theme, Christmas-themed art songs, but with all-new material this time around as sung by some of my very favorite singers, including Elly Ameling, Teresa Berganza, Norman Bailey, Irmgard Seefried, Lois Marshall, Benjamin Luxon, Jennie Tourel, Jorma Hynninen, Janet Baker, Peter Schreier, Sarah Walker, and many, many more. It’s an absolutely chock-full episode which focuses upon seasonal songs by Hugo Wolf, Joaquín Nin, Richard Strauss, Peter Warlock, Paul Hindemith, Peter Cornelius, Joaquín Rodrigo, and Maurice Ravel, among others. Attention is devoted to many of the characters in the original Christmas story: the Virgin Mary, the Shepherds, the Magi, and the Baby Jesus himself, while also not neglecting songs that address the less joyous aspects of the holiday season. I guarantee that your spirits will be uplifted, however, when Lotte Lehmann “drops in” to recite two of the poems from Rainer Maria Rilke’s Marienleben cycle. In addition, the episode begins with a tribute to Justino Díaz, who this past week received a Kennedy Center Honor.

Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel’s lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody’s core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody’s Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford. Bonus episodes available exclusively to Patreon supporters are currently available and further bonus content including interviews and livestreams is planned for the upcoming season.

Episode 116. Pop Songs by Lieder Singers

November 19, 2021African American Singers, Behind the Iron Curtain, Broadway, Comic Relief, Crossover, Great Baritones, Mezzo Madness, Needle Drop, Pop Icons, Singers of Color, Sylvia SassA Little Night Music, Allegro (Rodgers & Hammerstein), Andre Previn, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Andrzej Hiolski, Anna Moffo, Anne Sofie von Otter, Anneliese Rothenberger, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Astor Piazzolla, Barbara Hendricks, Brad Mehldau, Brigitte Fassbaender, Broadway, Bryn Terfel, Buddy DeSylva, Claude François, Cole Porter, Consuelo Velazquez, crossover, Dieter Reith, Donald Gramm, Duke Ellington, Eduard Künneke, Elly Ameling, Ennio Morricone, Evelyn Lear, Felicia Weathers, Franz Grothe, Frieder Weissmann, Fritz Wunderlich, George London, Gerard Souzay, Gloria Davy, Grace Bumbry, Guido Masanetz, Harold Arlen, Harry Warren, Heikki Sarmanto, Helen Donath, Hermann Prey, J. Fred Coots, Jacques Revaux, Jean-Louis Rassinfosse, Jean-Philippe Collard-Neven, Jerzy Harald, Johnny Green, Joni Mitchell, José Van Dam, Jule Styne, Jürgen Hermann, Karita Mattila, Kim Borg, Klaus Donath, Kurt Weill, Leonard Bernstein, Leontyne Price, Lotte Lehmann, Louis van Dijk, Mack Gordon, Maxwell Anderson, Monty Alexander, Oscar Hammerstein II, Paul Bonneau, Paul Daniel, Peter Cetera, Peter Schreier, Péter Wolf, pop standards, Regine Crespin, Richard Rodgers, Richard Tauber, Robert Katscher, Roberta Alexander, Roland Shaw, Skitch Henderson, South Pacific, Stephen Sondheim, Sylvia Sass, Thomas Stewart, West Side Story, Willi Stech, Yip Harburgcountermelody

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This week I feature nearly a century’s worth of recordings of pop music by singers who also, and in some cases primarily, were great singers of art song. Many of my favorite singers figure into the mix, including Hermann Prey (who was the inspiration for this episode), Grace Bumbry, Helen Donath, Roberta Alexander, Elly Ameling, Peter Schreier, Lotte Lehmann, Gérard Souzay, Brigitte Fassbaender, Bryn Terfel, Richard Tauber, José van Dam, Peter Schreier, Leontyne Price, Donald Gramm, and many, many others. They perform everything from Broadway standards to jazz to Deutsche Schlager to tangos to the Great American Songbook to 80s power ballads. This episode was such a joy to put together and I hope that you will enjoy this cornucopia of vocal and interpretive bounty.

Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel’s lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody’s core is the celebration of great singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. By clicking on the following link (https://linktr.ee/CountermelodyPodcast) you can find the dedicated Countermelody website which contains additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. The link will also take you to Countermelody’s Patreon page, where you can pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford. Bonus episodes available exclusively to Patreon supporters are currently available and further bonus content including interviews and livestreams is planned for the upcoming season.

Episode 83: Frühlingslieder [Spring Songs]

April 4, 2021African American Singers, Art Song, Broadway, Comic Relief, Crossover, Great Baritones, Holiday Music, Lieder, Mezzo Madness, Music for a World in Crisis Series, Needle Drop, Pop Icons, Twentieth Century Music, Voiceless WondersAksel Schiotz, Alan Jay Lerner, Alec Wilder, Benjamin Luxon, Bernard Kruysen, Brigitte Fassbaender, Bryn Terfel, Buddy Clark, Burt Bacharach, Charles Gounod, Claude Debussy, Comedian Harmonists, David Triestram, Dionne Warwick, Dorothy Fields, Edith Mathis, Edvard Grieg, Elly Ameling, Emilio de Gogorza, Emily Skinner, Erik Werba, Felix Mendelssohn, Fran Landesman, Frank Loesser, Franz Schubert, Georgia Brown, Gerald Moore, Gilbert Kalish, Gordon MacRae, Hans Hotter, Hugo Wolf, Jan DeGaetani, Jean Fournet, Jean-Paul Jeannotte, Jerome Kern, John Ireland, Judith Raskin, Kirsten Flagstad, Kurt Weill, Liane Augustin, Luther Henderson, Mabel Mercer, Martina Arroyo, Mattiwilda Dobbs, Milton Babbitt, Ned Rorem, Noël Lee, Oscar Hammerstein II, Paul Weston, Peter Schreier, Polly Bergen, Rebecca Luker, Richard Rodgers, Roberta Alexander, Sergei Rachmaninov, Tamara Milashkina, Tom Lehrer, Tommy Wolf, Vernon Duke, Walter Jurmann, Wilhelm Müller, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Yip Harburgcountermelody

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Dear listeners, it is Easter Sunday. While we are strictly non-sectarian at Countermelody, I did want to offer a program of spring favorites to welcome in the earth’s rebirth. (I also had to scramble to create a “filler” episode due to having lost two days of work this week after receiving my first jab on Wednesday.) Hence today’s offering: a Blumenstrauss of songs celebrating the beloved season of spring. I decided to limit today’s selections exclusively to song, omitting opera, operetta, and oratorio, but somewhat arbitrarily including songs from musicals amidst the classical and pop offerings. Even so, what a lineup of stars today: everyone from Mabel Mercer to Jan DeGaetani, from Hans Hotter to Dionne Warwick, from Georgia Brown to Roberta Alexander, from Kirsten Flagstad to Gordon MacRae. We hear composers ranging from Alec Wilder to Franz Schubert, from Milton Babbitt to Burt Bacharach, and from Hugo Wolf to Tom Lehrer. May these songs and songsters help us to welcome in the long-awaited spring!

Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel’s lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” Occasional guests from the “business” (singers, conductors, composers, coaches, and teachers) lend their distinctive insights. At Countermelody’s core is the interaction between singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. At Countermelody’s core is the interaction between singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. Please visit the Countermelody website (www.countermelodypodcast.com) for additional content including artist photos and episode setlists. And please head to my Patreon page at www.patreon.com/countermelody to pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford. Bonus episodes available only to Patreon supporters are currently available.

Episode 66. Christmas (Art) Songs

December 20, 2020African American Singers, Art Song, Eileen Farrell, Happy Birthday, Holiday Music, In Memoriam, Lieder, Mezzo Madness, Needle Drop, Richard StraussAlexander Sander, Bernard Kruysen, Bernarda Fink, Bruno Seidler-Winkler, Carl Loewe, Charles Bressler, Charles Ives, Claude Debussy, Claudio Muzio, Dalton Baldwin, Denise Duval, Edvard Grieg, Eileen Farrell, Elizabeth Harwood, Elly Ameling, Engelbert Humperdinck, Erik Werba, Erkki Melartin, Francis Poulenc, Franz Rupp, Gabriel Faure, Genevieve Touraine, George Trovillo, Gerard Souzay, Gilbert Kalish, Hansjörg Albrecht, Helmut Deutsch, Hermann Prey, Hugo Wolf, Ian Partridge, Igor Gorin, Irmgard Seefried, Jan DeGaetani, Jennifer Partridge, Joaquín Nin, Joaquin Rodrigo, Johannes Brahms, John McCabe, John Wustman, Jorma Hynninen, Joseph Canteloube, Joseph Haas, Julius Severin, Karl Erb, Kathleen Ferrier, Leonard Hokanson, Lilli Paasikivi, Lorenzo Molajoli, Marian Anderson, Marianne Hirsti, Marilyn Horne, Marni Nixon, Maurice Emmanuel, Maurice Ravel, Max Gilbert, Noël Lee, Norman Del Mar, Norman Shetler, Olaf Bär, Paul Hindemith, Peter Cornelius, Peter Schreier, Peter Warlock, Phyllis Spurr, Ralf Gothoni, Regine Crespin, Richard Trunk, Roger VIgnoles, Rosario Bourdon, Rudolf Jansen, Ruth-Margret Pütz, Susan Dunn, Ulf Söderblom, Willem Pijper, William Primrose, Wolfgang Anheissercountermelody

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In preparation for the upcoming holiday, this week I offer a cross-section of art songs and arrangements of folk songs, not only from Germany, which is the epicenter of the Christmas Lied, but also France, Norway, the United States, Finland, England, and Spain The performers, recorded between 1927 and 2010, include Ernestine Schumann-Heink, Régine Crespin, Hermann Prey, Claudia Muzio, Elly Ameling, Marian Anderson, Ian Partridge, Karl Erb, Wolfgang Anheisser, Jan DeGaetani, Jorma Hynninen, Bernarda Fink, Olaf Bär, Susan Dunn, Kathleen Ferrier, and Bernard Kruysen, among many others, in songs by composers including, in part, Johannes Brahms, Joaquín Nin, Hugo Wolf, Peter Warlock, Claude Debussy, Charles Ives, and Paul Hindemith. The episode features several performances by my teacher, the esteemed accompanist John Wustman, who on Christmas Day celebrates his 90th birthday.

Links to my 2019 Christmas episodes:

Episode 13: Christmas with the Tenors (including everyone from Fritz Wunderlich to Georges Thill to Roland Hayes): www:countermelodypodcast.com/episode-13-christmas-with-the-tenors

Episode 14: Christmas Potpourri (including my choices for the six most depressing pop Christmas songs ever!): www.countermelodypodcast.com/episode-14-christmas-potpourri-ii-hard-try

Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glory and the power of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great singers of the past and present focusing in particular on those who are less well-remembered today than they should be. Daniel’s lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” Occasional guests from the “business” (singers, conductors, composers, coaches, and teachers) lend their distinctive insights. At Countermelody’s core is the interaction between singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. Please visit the Countermelody website (www.countermelodypodcast.com) for additional content. And please head to our Patreon page at www.patreon.com/countermelody to pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford. Bonus episodes available only to Patreon supporters are currently available, including a new extra episode further exploring today’s topic.

Episode 34. Charm

May 11, 2020African American Singers, Art Song, Comic Relief, Lieder, Needle DropÁguas de Março [Waters of March], Anna Wheaton, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Ar hyd y nos [All Through the Night], Arne Dorumsgaard, Arthur Schwartz, Barbara Cook, Bidu Sayao, Buddy De Sylva, Carlos Gardel, Charles Gounod, Con amores la mia madre, David Lochary, Dawn Davenport, Divine, Don Shirley, Edith Massey, Eileen Farrell, Elisabeth Welch, Elly Ameling, Ernani Braga, Ezio Pinza, Female Trouble, George Gershwin, Georges Brassens, Gerald Moore, Gerard Souzay, Howard Dietz, Hugues Cuenod, I Wanna Be Loved By You, Jacques Offenbach, James Herrod, Jerome Kern, John Waters, Jorma Hynninen, Juan de Anchieta, Judy Holliday, La Périchole, Le Fiacre, Lehman Engel, Léon Xanrof, Louis van Dijk, Love Walked In, Marcel Delannoy, Marilyn Monroe, Martha Flowers, Mary Martin, Mary Vivian Pearce, Narciso Yepes, Naughty Marietta, Ninon Vallin, On the Sunny Side of the Street, Patachou, Paul Zakrzewski, Philippine (Delannoy), Regine Crespin, Reynaldo Hahn, Richard Dyer-Bennett, Richard Lewis, Russell Oberlin, Seymour Barab, Stephen Schwartz, Susannah McCorkle, Teresa Berganza, The Girl from Ipanema, The Quaker Lover, Till the Clouds Roll By, Victor Herbert, Victoria de los Angeles, Vincent Youmans, Wally Harper, Yvette Guilbertcountermelody

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I have planned a series on five different artistic traits that guide a singer through their artistic journey. The designations are my own, and as such, purely idiosyncratic. Charm is defined as “the power or quality of giving delight or arousing admiration.” In this episode, we examine singers of many genres singing music from many lands. Featured artists include Bidú Sayão, Carlos Gardel, Mary Martin, Régine Crespin, Richard Lewis, Victoria de los Angeles, Eileen Farrell, Ezio Pinza, Patachou, Judy Holliday, Hugues Cuenod, Elisabeth Welch, Ninon Vallin, Richard Dyer-Bennett, Jorma Hynninen, Susannah McCorkle, Barbara Cook, Ninon Vallin, Teresa Berganza, Yvette Guilbert, and many others. Because there is so much charm and enchantment in the world, the episode threatened to stretch to an untenable length, I will present additional examples of Charm in the next episode. I also pay tribute to the Lebanese-American mezzo-soprano Rosalind Elias, who died a week ago at the age of 90.

Countermelody is a podcast devoted to the glories of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great classical and opera singers of the past and present with the help of guests from the classical music field: singers, conductors, composers, coaches, agents, and voice teachers. Daniel’s lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody’s core is the interaction between singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. Please visit the Countermelody website (www.countermelodypodcast.com) for additional content. And please head to our Patreon page at www.patreon.com/countermelody to pledge your monthly support at whatever level you can afford.

Episode 16. Souvenirs – Elly Ameling and Dalton Baldwin

January 5, 2020Art Song, Broadway, Crossover, Happy Birthday, In Memoriam, Lieder, Needle Drop, Twentieth Century MusicAfrikaans Wiegeliedjie, Arnold Schoenberg, Benjamin Britten, Brettl-Lieder, Brezariola, Britten Folk Song Arrangements, Charles Ives, Cuatro madrigales amatorios, Dalton Baldwin, De los alamos vengo madre, Drey Minnelieder, Elly Ameling, Emiel Hullebroeck, Emile Vuillermoz, Folk Song Arrangements, Frank Martin, Franz Liszt, Gigerlette, Gioacchino Rossini, Henry Purcell, Jean Sibelius, Joaquin Rodrigo, John Weldon, Joseph Canteloube, La Danza, La derniere valse, Memories, Moeke Dutch Folk Song, Music for a while, O lieb solang du lieben kannst, O waly waly, Oyasumi na sai, Reynaldo Hahn, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Souvenirs, Spring Waters, The Wakeful Nightingale, Unter den Linden, Varen flyktar hastigt, whistling, Yoshinao Nakadacountermelody

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We begin 2020 with a new series of episodes. For the next eight weeks, I will present selections dubbed exclusively from LPs, few if any of which have ever been re-released on CD and which remain barely available on any listening platform for today’s audience. Today’s entry in the Needle Drop series is the marvelously engaging and entertaining 1979 Columbia Masterworks release Souvenirs (M 35119), which features the Dutch soprano Elly Ameling, renowned for her peerless work as an art song recitalist, and the late American pianist Dalton Baldwin (19 December 1931 – 12 December 2019), whose life and legacy we particularly celebrate today. This episode also serves as an early birthday tribute to Elly Ameling, who turns 87 on 8 February 2020.

Countermelody is a new podcast devoted to the glories of the human voice raised in song. Singer and vocal aficionado Daniel Gundlach explores great classical and opera singers of the past and present with the help of guests from the classical music field: singers, conductors, composers, coaches, agents, and voice teachers. Daniel’s lifetime in music as a professional countertenor, pianist, vocal coach, voice teacher, and journalist yields an exciting array of anecdotes, impressions, and “inside stories.” At Countermelody’s core is the interaction between singers of all stripes, their instruments, and the connection they make to the words they sing. Please also visit the Countermelody website for updates, additional content, and to pledge your support. www.countermelodypodcast.com